English - 2007 (Set I - Delhi )

SECTION - A

Reading (20 marks)

Q. 1. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : (12 marks)

  1. Last June, my elder daughter Sylvie, finished kindergarten at the school near our home in Bethlehem, USA. If my wife, Theresa, and I have our way, Sylvie will graduate from the same school. I am eyeing Sylvie’s graduation because I want this to be her only school and Bethlehem to be her hometown. Both goalsfirst one a school, the second a hometown - eluded me. My father was in the army, and I attended numerous schools. Our transient lifestyle offered a grand upbringing, but it came at a cost. Of all those people I befriended on the run, for instance, I’ve maintained contact with exactly one. I’m generally from everywhere and exactly from nowhere.
  2. I want Sylvie and her two year old sister Linnea, to have that hometown that I missed. It would be a place they know intimately, care about, return to with a thrill. So when Theresa took a teaching post in Bethlehem, we moved from Chicago and decided to settle down here. That was almost six years ago, and the transition was rough. We did not like the paucity of movie houses, usedbook stores and great restaurants. We found instead, cheap shopping malls and cornfields being transformed into faceless suburbs. It was hard to imagine blossoming in such a place. We began to seek out the good things in Bethlehem, of which, we discovered, there are many. In short order we turned up the children’s corner of the public library, a number of parks and the folkmusic club that draws top performers to a venue no bigger than our living room.
  3. Where we found good places, we found good people. Slowly their numbers increased. Soon we discovered we had knit together a circle of dear friends. As our friendship strengthened, so, too did an unspoken belief that we would be here for each other over the long haul. We’d watch each other’s children grow up; offer them a hand where we could, support each other through the joys and travails of parenthood.
  4. There’s a yearly party, a joint sale and more potluck dinners than I can count. We’ve celebrated both of Linnea’s birthdays with a bash on our front lawn. On Saturday mornings when many of us converge downtown, the shopkeepers greet me and my children by name, and hand out goodies. To the old-timers here, all this might be unremarkable. But to the vagabond like me, this acceptance is heart-warming, nourishing and ultimately sustaining. So why resist its pull ? Because it’s a mistake to take for granted a good community, or to assume we’d be lucky enough to find one somewhere else. In the end, good and lasting community arises from a commitment to it. And there’s no more basic commitment than staying put.

1.1 Complete the summary given below. Use only a word to fill in the blanks. (1×5=5)

The author decided to stay put at Bethlehem as he wanted it to be his (a) _____________________ hometown. Though upset about the lack of (b) ___________________, he and his wife started to seek out the good things there. Soon a strong bond developed between them and their (c)___________________. He resisted his (d)_______________________ to move to greener pastures. He also (e)___________________that only with commitment can a lasting community arise.

1.2 Complete the following sentences : (1×3=3 marks)

  1. The author could not refer to any place as his hometown because _____________ .
  2. The author had contact with only one friend _______________ .
  3. The realization that lasting community arises _______________ .

1.3 Find words which mean the same as the following : (1×4=4 marks)

  1. many/in large numbers (para 1)
  2. change (para 2)
  3. sorrows/unpleasant experiences (para 3)
  4. a person who travels from place to place (para 4)

Q. 2. Read the passage given below and answer the questions that follow : (8 marks)

  1. Set in the declining but still green Western Ghats in the South-West of Karnataka, Coorg is the heart of India’s coffee country. Coffee is the world’s most heavily traded commodity after crude oil. Coorg boasts a land area four times larger than Hong Kong and seven times the area of Singapore. Most of it is under tree cover because unlike tea plants, the coffee bush requires shade.
  2. India is acknowledged as the producer of the finest mild coffees. With their tropical climate, high altitude, abundant rainfall and fertile soil, Coorg and the neighbouring Chickmangalur districts in Karnataka have consistently produced and exported high quality coffee for over 150 years. The coffee output of these two districts accounts for 70 percent of the total coffee produced in the country. Coorg coffee is valued for its blue colour, clean beans and fine liquoring qualities and hence is in demand in the international markets.
  3. In March and April, the coffee blossom time in Coorg, when blossoms transform into berries, the bushes are cropped. The cherry-red fruit is then pulped; the seeds separated, dried and sent for curing. Coorg or Kodagu is the district which is one of the largest producers of pepper, cardamom and honey in the world.
  4. Not much is known about the early history of Coorg. Recorded history is available only from 1600 A.D. onwards when Kodava Rajas ruled over the region and established their capital at Mercara by constructing a mud-walled fort. The martial Kodavas troubled Hyder Ali and his son Tipu Sultan, who ruled the Mysore region in the 18th century, by way of sporadic rebellions. But in 1785, Tipu’s large army marched into Kodagu and devastated the kingdom. Fourteen years later, with the help of the British, who defeated Tipu Sultan following the historic siege of Srirangapatana in 1799, Coorg regained independence and under the leadership of Raja Veerarajendra rebuilt the capital. Later in 1834, the British exiled its ruler Chikkaveera Rajendra and assumed administrative charge of the district. The British left India in 1947, leaving behind a legacy of coffee plantations, colonial buildings and well-planned road networks.

2.1 Complete the following : (1×4=4 marks)

  1. The tea plants are unlike coffee plants as the latter _____________ .
  2. Coorg coffee is internationally acclaimed for its _____________ .
  3. Coorg is famous not only for coffee but also for _____________ .
  4. After crude oil, coffee is the _____________ .

2.2 Complete the table given below : (1×4=4 marks)

Year Events
(a) _________ Recorded history of Coorg available from
1785 AD (b) ____________________
(c) ________ Coorg regained independence
1834 AD (d) ____________________

SECTION - B

Writing (30 marks)

Q. 3. You are Akhil / Akanksha, the Head Boy/Girl of Modern Public School, Kochi. As part of Social Service your school has decided to clean the surroundings. Write a notice, in not more than 50 words, for your school notice board asking for the names of the students of senior wing who wish to participate wholeheartedly. (5 marks)

Q. 4. You are Akhila / Akash, a student of R.H. College, Mangalore. Send a telegram to your father living at 20, Church Road, Bangalore informing him that you are unable to come home to attend the wedding of your cousin due to curfew in Mangalore. Write the telegram in not more than 25 words. Copy the format of the telegram from the question paper. (5 marks)

INDIAN POST AND TELEGRAPH

ADDRESSEE’S NAME AND
ADDRESS		  

MESSAGE

SENDER’S NAME

(NOT TO BE TELEGRAPHED)

SENDER’S ADDRESS

Q. 5. The following lines from the poem, ‘Reaching Out’ in the Main Course Book set you thinking about the need to educate adults. You decided to get involved in the adult education programme. Taking ideas from the unit, ‘Education’, along with your own ideas, write a letter to the editor of a newspaper in about 150 words encouraging youngsters to take part in the programme. (10 marks)

"______________despite our illiteracy,
We still exist.
But we have to know
Why we should become literate.”

Q. 6. You are a member of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in your locality. The following Pie-chart reflects the attitude of the people towards animals. In response to this, write an article to be published in the forthcoming issue of ‘The Week’ on why animals are ill treated and what can be done to prevent it. As Ramesh / Ranjini, write the article in 150-200 words. (10 marks)

FOR THE BLIND

You are a member of the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in your locality. Write an article to be published in the forthcoming issue of ‘The Week’ on how animals are ill treated and what can be done to prevent it. As Ramesh / Ranjini, write the article in 150-200 words.

Hints :

* 50% people believe that animals are exploited for selfish ends.

* 35% people have indifferent attitude towards animals.

* 15% people believe that animals are man’s slaves.

SECTION - C

Grammar (20 marks)

Q. 7. Look at the notes given below and complete the paragraph suitably. Do not add any new information. Write the answers against the correct blank numbers in your answer sheet. Do not copy the whole sentences. (1×4=4 marks)

Susrutha - birth - 6th Century - learns surgery, medicine - Dhanvanthri -
Varanasi - Susrutha, other doctors - realize - no point - learn - only
facts - from books - perform - surgery -

Susrutha was a descendant of the Vedic sage Viswamithra. He was (a) __________ the 6th century B.C. He (b)______________from Dhanvanthri at Varanasi. Susrutha and some other (c)________________that learning only facts from books was of very little use by itself. In order to be good surgeons, they needed to learn by (d)______________

Q. 8. Rearrange the following words and phrases to form meaningful sentences. The first one has been done for you as an example. Write the answers against the correct blank numbers in your answer sheet. (1×4=4 marks)

was a / about twenty / childhood / delight / years ago.
Childhood was a delight about twenty years ago.

  1. the leisure hours / of a child / of the TV / today / are spent / in front /
  2. of most / now - a - days / the attitude / parents is / different /
  3. work and play / different things / they see / as / two /
  4. playing / feel / is a/waste of/they/time/that

Q. 9. In the passage given below, there is an error in each line. Write the incorrect word and the correction as given in the example against the correct blank number in your answer sheet. Remember to underline the word you have supplied. (½×8=4 marks)

The exhaust earth groaned exhaust - exhausted
and quivered under a glare (a)
of the Sun. Spirals in heat (b)
rose from the ground on if (c)
from molten lava. The panting (d)
lizard crawl painfully over (e)
the hot rock on search (f)
of the shady crevice. Cattle (g)
or dogs cringed under the shade. (h)

Q. 10. Read the headlines given below and use the information to complete the sentences appropriately. Write the answers against the correct blank numbers in your answer sheet. Do not copy the whole sentences. (1×4=4 marks)

  1. Air Deccan adds new flight
    Air Deccan on Friday announced ___________________________ of a second flight to the Delhi-Dehradun sector.
  2. Verismo India appoints new President
    Verismo Networks, a leading internet media company_____________ ______________ Abhay Dubey as President, Verismo India.
  3. Madras Management Association elects new President.
    C.K.Ranganathan,_______________________________ of Madras Management Association for the year 2006-2007.
  4. Arnold to take over charge
    The Football Federation of Australia said on Friday that Assistant
    Coach Graham Arnold________________of the Australian team for the next two Asian Cup qualifying matches.

Q. 11. Read the conversation and complete the paragraph given below. Write the answers against the correct blank numbers. Do not copy the whole sentences. (1×4=4 marks)

Arun : Where are you going ?
Hari : I am going to Mumbai.
Arun : Do you know whether the train is on time ?
Hari : It is to arrive at 10 p.m.
Arun : I hope it is on time.

Arun asked Hari where he was going. Hari answered that (a) ________.
Arun enquired if he knew (b)_________________________.
________________________ Hari said (c) ____________________________.
Arun said (d)________________.

SECTION - D

Literature (30 marks)

Q. 12. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write the answers in your answer sheet in one or two lines only. Number the answers correctly. (4 marks)

Like the bright hair uplifted from the head
Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge
Of the horizon to the zenith’s height,
The locks of the approaching storm.

  1. Who is Maenad ? What comparison does the poet make in these lines ? (2)
  2. Name the poetic device used here. (1)
  3. What does the phrase, ‘The locks’ stand for ? (1)

Q. 13. Read the extract given below and answer the questions that follow. Write the answers in your answer sheet in one or two lines only. Number the answers correctly. (4 marks)

Dumbstruck sat the gaping frog.
And the whole admiring bog
Stared towards the sumac, rapt,
And, when she had ended, clapped.

  1. Why was the frog “dumbstruck” ? (2)
  2. Who admired whom ? (1)
  3. Why did everyone stare at the sumac ? (1)

Q. 14. “We were the first that ever burst Into that silent sea.”

Give a description of the experiences the mariners underwent in ‘the silent sea’. Write your answer in 75-100 words. (5 marks)

Q. 15. Why did Calpurnia try to prevent Caesar from going to the senate house ? Did she succeed in her attempt ? Why ? Write your answer in about 75 words. (5 marks)

Q. 16. “But when the evening of his life was drawing in, he left his old ways and suddenly took a new turn.” What was the change in Ali’s nature towards the end of his life ? What was responsible for this transformation ? Write your answer in 50-75 words. (4 marks)

Q. 17. You are the reporter of an investigative magazine. Your editor entrusted you with the duty of collecting information about what had happened to Cutie-Pie after he had escaped from prison. After the investigation you decide to write a letter to a friend on what had happened to Cutie-Pie. Write the letter in 150-175 words. (8 marks)

English 2007 Question Papers Class X
CBSE 2007 Questions Papers Class X